Sincerity, an advertising man and columnist not a million pages from here was once quoted as saying, is everything. Learn how to fake that, and you’ve got it made. He couldn’t have been more wrong, says Vaughn Davis.
Whybin\TBWA has lent its creative talents to the cause of autism by producing a thought-provoking campaign for Minds for Minds. By giving a polarised snapshot of the contrasting perspectives of neurotypicals and those suffering from the disorder, Whybin hopes to encourage people to learn more about a problem that affects 45,000 families in New Zealand.
From the rise of e-commerce to social media usage to online media stats to smartphone penetration, it was another year of huge digital growth in 2013. And where there are consumers, there will be agencies, clients and publishers trying to get in front of them. Spark’s digital and social arm PHDiQ nabbed a host of awards for its campaigns last year and welcomed Jane Stanley to the position of managing director after Alysha Delany shifted to MBM. Here are her thoughts.
Every year, The Poynter Institute chronicles some of the errors made by the world’s media—and the ensuing corrections. Some are serious mistakes and have serious repercussions, like the Error of the Year given to 60 Minutes for its flawed Benghazi report. But most veer towards the comical. Either way, 2013’s lot are worth a read.
Another successful year of moulding, shaping and nurturing young minds and preparing them for a life of advertising, with 100 percent of the students now in jobs. Media Design School’s Kate Humphries shares her thoughts.
Back in 1964, sci-fi writer and biochemistry professor Isaac Asimov wrote an article for The New York Times predicting what life might be like in 2014. He got a few things right (although he was off in other areas, but humans do tend to remember the hits and overlook the many misses of futurists and psychics, something often known as the Jeane Dixon effect). And while there’s no doubt we live in a remarkable age, filled with an array of remarkable innovations designed to make our lives easier, we’re still obviously a long way from cracking the audio-to-text puzzle, as this transcript of an interview Vincent Heeringa recently gave to James Hurman that was converted by an automated online service attests.
TVNZ has caved in to public pressure and will now broadcast the Grammy Awards twice on 27 January: first live on TV2 at 2pm and then delayed on TV ONE at 9.15pm.
Auckland company Assembly has created a new site for Sony’s ‘Be Moved’ brand campaign, which showcases a selection of products as the sum of their parts. Animations give the appearance of product assembly to seven products as visitors scroll through the site.
Viewership of broadcast TV is declining here and around the world. And, in correlation, some consumers appear to have largely checked out of advertising altogether, writes Andrew Lewis. So a reliance on brand-led communications to drive engagement will be found wanting.
Watching the promotional launch of DB Export Citrus left everyone here at StopPress longing for the neck-warming mullets, fiery wells and soothing Latin charms that pervaded the Export Dry, Gold and 33 TVCs.
McDonald’s made a big song and dance about the launch of its lamb burger last year before removing it from the menu due to poor sales. But that hasn’t stopped Burger King from trying, and it’s playing up the premium nature of its new King’s Collection product and aiming to show that “every man can eat like he’s rich, including the rich” with the help of its new spokestoffs: the frightfully wealthy stereotypical British aristocrats Sir Roger Poppincock and Baron von Cravat.
BNZ has announced an update to YouMoney that enables users to add accounts dedicated to specific items via a smartphone. And to spread awareness of the update, the blue bank has also launched a social media competition that asks Kiwis to share pictures of things they want via social media channels.
The Radio Network may boost other big names with internet-based shows as it adopts an on demand model. This week it launched the Polly and Grant Show on digital platform iHeartRadio.
In 2013, many Kiwi music fans were left with a Big Day Out-shaped hole in their hearts on account of the event being pulled due to the disappointing 2012 lineup resulting in poor ticket sales. But this year, with Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire, Deftones and Snoop of the canine or feline persuasion making an appearance, the hype has attracted not only fans but also a few Kiwi businesses. Here’s what attendees can look forward to at this year’s event.
Playing some Christmas catch-up for the first instalment of Movings/Shakings for 2014, with changes at Cadbury, Radio New Zealand, Radio Hauraki, Skinny Mobile, Rapp, Flossie, Photoplay and Fonterra.
With ever better visuals, characters and stories, and even the addition of things like scents, games are getting more and more real. In its new TVC by Crispin, Porter and Bogusky, Microsoft warns obsessed gamers just how real things are getting.
App development company Mogeo is reinforcing its reputation as the partner of choice for recreation and travel-focused applications — and has a new website and community around travel information.
AJ Park patent specialists Anton Blijlevens and Jillian Lim touch on some of the interesting patents to look out for on the shelves.
Another year, and by now you probably think you have a pretty good understanding of social media. Perhaps so. Then you won’t mind if we put that to the test, will you? So strap yourself in as Michael Carney takes you on a journey through what you need to know as we plunge into 2014.
What happens when engineers and artists come together? No, it’s not engineer/artist babies, it’s creative new products. Sony wants to show us that hardware is all about feelings.
Some of us like to ask friends and family before we buy something, others spend hours browsing websites and catalogues before they hit the shops. Now furniture retailer Ikea has an alternative with an app that uses the Chinese signs of the Zodiac to make recommendations.
Pinterest is used by more than five percent of Kiwis. The demographic that uses the social channel is a tough one to market to, says Duncan Jones, but if you are in the right industry it can be an extremely lucrative one.
Jucy is rewarding hopeless romantics for their creative and quirky displays of public affection on social media. It’s launched a competition that offers a week of glamping, the sophisticate’s version of what traditionalists used to know as camping.
Apple is harnessing the value of poetry in a new ad that aims to promote the iPad Air. The 90-second spot couples an excerpt spoken by Robin Williams in the Dead Poets Society with video footage that showcases the splendour of human endeavour. PLUS: see which other brands have dabbled in verse to flog products.
After cancelling its expensive output deal with 20th Century Fox, just as it had with the other big studios, MediaWorks was forced to stop screening some of its most popular shows in November last year. But in late December it announced it had struck up a new relationship with the big US studio that will see many of the shows it lost returning this year, although they won’t all be back, because Sky has nabbed some of the studio’s big shows for itself.
Running with Scissors used much of 2013 injecting new life into some renowned Kiwi brands and ushering a few new names onto the market. In addition to revamping Heinz Wattie’s tomato sauce, Whitlock & Sons and Pagani, the RwS team also introduced Orchard Thieves cider to Kiwi shelves. And to top it all off, the company also opened doors to its new London office. Now it’s over to head of business Roger Shakes for his thoughts.
In New Zealand, Duracell clutched at straws with its follow-up to the All Blacks sponsorship launch ad by saying “when the All Blacks want to play at their best, there is only one battery they trust”. But in the US, Duracell and Saatchi & Saatchi have taken a more realistic and much more inspiring approach for its latest sponsorship push by telling the story of Derrick Cole, the first legally deaf player to be part of an NFL offense.
One big hit from NZTA and Clemenger BBDO, another big hit from Old Spice and Kiwi Steve Ayson, a curious child calls Christmas into question in a spot for ze Germans by Mark & Louis, and a collection of oddvertising for Carlton Dry from Taika Waititi.
Samsung Singapore has released a new app that stops phones from receiving phone calls, text messages or social media notifications when people are travelling at faster than 20 kilometres per hour. PLUS: check out the Yellow Jacket (stun gun) iPhone case.
Judging by the prevalence of orange T-shirts at the recent T20 match between the West Indies and the Black Caps, it’s clear that cricket fans are very keen to get their hands (or hand) on one of 12 cash prizes of $100,000 that Tui is giving to spectators who make a one-handed catch while at the West Indian and Indian T20 and ODI games during the 2013/14 season.